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Success Stories

Hear From Our Clients

Our client stories allow you to learn a little more about our business owners, their organizations and how they've benefited from Aileron and professional management. As you will see, no matter what industry you are in, professional management can help you gain control and grow your business.

I Had Hit Rock Bottom

Since driving professional management throughout his organization, Jim has transformed the company culture and his employees are working together as a trusted team. And Jim has finally found the right balance between work and family.

Scott McGohan

McGohan Brabender, Inc.

CEO

Aileron Helped Me

Strategic thinking and planning

Setting vision

People development

Empowering employees

Organizational structure

Personal leadership

As An Entrepreneur, I Was A Gunslinger

Scott shares how driving professional management throughout his organization improved his quality of life both professionally and personally. "As business owners, we knew why we're here, but how do you instill this passion throughout the company?" he says. "How do you get the person at the front desk fired up to come in every morning? Aileron helped us define how and why we do what we do."

Tony Schroeder

President

Choice One Engineering Corp

Aileron Helped Me

Focus

Continuous improvement

Connect to peers

Setting vision

Personal and employee satisfaction

Culture

Work/life balance

Independent Wealth Is Not Just Measured In Money

How comfortable would you be handing over your company to your managers and walking out the door for two months? No phone calls, no emails, no nothing. Before Aileron and professional management, Tony would have laughed at the idea, too. But, after instituting Aileron's simplified and proven approach that's exactly what he did.

Joe Kelley

President

Gates That Open, Inc.

Aileron Helped Me

Changing the company culture

Developing people

Firing employees

Hiring the right people

Personal leadership

Running the business

Professional Management Transformed My Company

When Joe Kelley came home to his wife after his first day as president of Gates That Open (GTO) he said, "I don't know if I am good enough to do this." With the support of Aileron and many mentors over a five-year period Joe transformed the company and has gone from losing money to making money – to the tune of a 400-percent turnaround.

Christopher Che

President

Hooven-Dayton, Corp.

Aileron Helped Me

Managing exponential growth

Organization, structure, and systems

Change management

Developing senior leadership

Team mission, vision, and core values

Personal leadership

Our Company Had Doubled In Size

Although doubling in size from $10 million to $20 million was good, Christopher knew having the structures in place to make timely changes to manage that growth was critical. Now he is more focused, confident, and conscious of himself as a leader and he believes more than ever that investing in people is key to being successful.

Andy Wolfe

President

Arronco Comfort Air

Aileron Helped Me

Creating a strategic vision

Operational planning

Employees becoming focused on future plans

Alignment of operations

My Employees Are Happier

After spending endless nights awake thinking about the state of his business, Andy decided there must be a better way. Now, with the entire company focused on achieving his vision, there is clarity and excitement. With a projected growth of 30% for the year, Andrew can sleep better at night maintaining the ever-elusive work/life balance.

Mark and Peg Grunkemeyer

Owners

Buckeye Ecocare

Aileron Helped Me

Succession planning

Aligning personal and organization vision

Creating a financial roadmap

Family business transition

Creating an outside board

Organizational structure

Empowering people

Hiring the right people

Nothing Is More Important Than Family

For the first twenty years of owning and operating a business, Mark and Peg were worried about paying off debt, making the business work, and putting people and systems in place. Since working with Aileron and their Board of Advisors, they have created a personal roadmap to ensure that their business and financials never interfere with the interaction between themselves or their children.

Steve and Vareena Swihart

President and Executive V.P.

Swihart Industries

Aileron Helped Me

Getting connected to peers

Strategic planning

Aligning personal and business vision

Outside board of advisors

Succession planning

Work/life balance

Operational stability

Empowering employees

We Had No Clue Where We Were Financially

At the age of 17, Steve borrowed $1500 from his sister to buy his first machine and started his own business. After years of feeling extremely overwhelmed and alone, Steve has stopped working those 80-hour weeks and pulling all-nighters. By putting systems in place and empowering the right people, Steve and Vareena have aligned their family life vision with their business vision through the help of Aileron and professional management.

Rob Moyer

CEO

Rexarc International, Inc.

Aileron Helped Me

Discover inefficiencies

Managing company growth

Creating an outside board

Pursuing personal dreams

We Went From Paying For Growth To Getting Paid For Growth

Rob Moyer’s goal has been to take his family business from a $3.5 million-a-year enterprise to $100 million. His board of directors was all for it. But they suggested he first hire a president to run the company while he worked on his bachelor’s degree. Since working with Aileron and setting up a board, the business has gone from losing money to breaking even to making money – to the tune of a 600-percent turnaround.

David Fisher, Eric Lundgren, Brad Haber

President, V.P., COO

ThreeWitt Enterprises, Inc.

Aileron Helped Me

Validated processes and systems

Strategic planning

Creating an outside board

Succession planning

Focus on future direction

Personal confidence

We Went From A Shotgun Approach To A Laser Beam

David Fisher, President, Eric Lundgren, V.P. and Brad Haber, COO of a company that owns a string of Dayton-area restaurants, is firmly convinced Aileron is the best kept business secret in America. They believe Aileron is part of what sets Dayton apart, especially in tough economic times. They see Aileron as a piece of the picture that can make Dayton a place young entrepreneurs can look to and learn.

Wes Gipe

President

Agil IT

Aileron Helped Me

Define vision

Focus on future direction

Customer segmentation and analysis

Culture

Empower people to make decisions

Efficient processes

At The End Of The Day, My Family Was Getting The Last 5% Of Me

The IT firm Wes Gipe launched at the age of 19 was undergoing extraordinary growth. But it was coming through brute force. His people were beat down, and so was he. A year after discovering Aileron, he knew the relationship was working when he noticed his people were whistling on their way to work – and on their way home, even after 12-hour days.

Tessie Ganzsarto

President

Alternate Solutions HomeCare

Aileron Helped Me

Manage growth

Change management

Hiring the right people

Delegating to others

People development

Letting people go who weren't a culture fit

Our Growth Hit Us Like A Ton Of Bricks

After her first Aileron experience, Tessie Ganzsarto realized she needed to manage their business professionally, as opposed to letting sheer growth do it for her. These days, she and her husband, David, get calls from Aileron asking if they will help other entrepreneurs coming up. They get excited when the calls come. They’re grateful to be in a position to help.

Todd Kelchner

CEO

Kelchner, Inc.

Aileron Helped Me

Managing growth

Articulating and sharing company vision with employees

Creating an outside board

Strategic planning

Connecting with peers

I Could Never Get Over The Hump Of Solid, Profitable Growth

Meet Todd Kelchner. After becoming CEO of Kelchner, Inc. - a company his father started in 1948 - Todd realized he had a vision for the company and that vision was to become a leader in the excavating market. "Using Aileron's Professional Management System, we went from 65 employees to 205. As the heavy construction industry grew by less than 5% over the past five years, Kelchner Inc. has grown by 95%." Todd credits the support of Aileron as a driver for his success.

Dan Detmer

Owner

Nelson Comfort

Aileron Helped Me

Blend two established businesses and cultures Become more efficient and productive Focus on future growth Decision-making ability Personal accountability Strategic planning Creating an outside board of advisors

Dan Learned To Work More Efficiently

As a business owner, Dan faced a variety of issues-growing his business, blending two cultures together, putting a board of directors in place, and more. With Aileron’s help, Dan learned to work more efficiently, get input from others when making big decisions, and take risks to keep his company moving in the right direction.